A chance was missed last week to put the standoff between the US and Iran on a path toward settlement rather than escalation: Tehran made an offer and Donald Trump refused it. The attempt failed because neither was ready to compromise, and if that’s the end of the matter one side will have overplayed its hand. The question is which — and that does not have a simple answer.
The US president is playing hardball with growing confidence. His aides have been briefing media outlets that the US holds all the cards, and Trump himself told Axios that the phased deal Tehran put on the table was one he might have accepted a year ago, but not now. He also said Iran was mistaken if it thought the approach of US midterm elections gave it leverage, because he doesn’t even consider them.
